


Alisandre's adventures in Soul Society

by Lemon_Alisandre



Series: Alisandre's Adventures [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemon_Alisandre/pseuds/Lemon_Alisandre
Summary: Can an arrancar live peacefully in Soul Society?As part of a peace program discussed by Queen Halibel of Hueco Mundo and Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku, a young Arrancar was chosen to stay for the forseeable future in Soul Society, working with the Shinigami as one of them and living in the 8th Division Barracks.Alisandre's adventure begins here, will everyone receive an arrancar just like that into their barracks? Or will he find trouble with the Shinigami?He believes in a world where peace between Arrancar and Shinigami is possible...
Series: Alisandre's Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876150
Kudos: 4





	1. New beginnings

Do you think an Arrancar can live peacefully among the Shinigami in Soul Society?  
I like to believe it is possible... To see the greenery, the flowing water and even taste the food they can get from the human world...  
These are all things i want to try... 

Hueco Mundo, 10 years after the Quincy attack.

The quiet nights in Hueco Mundo are usually peaceful and not a noise can be heard outside of Queen Halibel's palace, except today... 

"WHAAAAAAAT?!?!" A loud question was heard from inside the main hall. "Are you sure about this, Halibel-sama?!" asked Emilou Apacci; the most explosive of the Tres Bestias, walking towards Halibel's throne. "Why would you send him to such an important mission?! Please let ME go instead, Halibel-sama!". She stood in front of the queen with a confident posture. 

Another loud voice followed. "NO! Halibel-sama, let me handle the mission, I won't fail you!" The towering presence of Franceska Mila Rose standing beside Apacci created a beautiful contrast. 

"WHAT WAS THAT?!?! ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I'M GOING TO FAIL?! YOU UGLY GORILLA WOMAN?!" Apacci barked at Franceska with a menacing look. Franceska looked back at her and clashed helmets with the short Arrancar "What?! Are you deaf or something?!"

As both Arrancars kept bickering, a third voice was heard from the side of the room, refined and straight to the point, Cyan Sung-sun approached the throne. "Both of you would ruin the mission with your savage actions. Halibel-sama, if you allow me to take the mission, I--" But she was interrupted by the queen herself raising her hand.

"Girls, there is no need to fight over this, my decision was already made. Alisandre is the most suited one for this mission". She said while looking at the kneeling Arrancar behind the three women. The three of them glaring at him with a mix of jealousy and impotence, they wouldn't go against Halibel's choice, but they didn't like the idea of the newest member of the "royal guard" of the queen; consisting of just the Tres Bestias, and Alisandre, taking the glory of such an important mission. "Girls... you know you are all my strongest warriors, and my most trusted people. I need you to stay here with me and protect Hueco Mundo". The queen said in such a calm tone, like one of a mother trying to calm her arguing kids. "Also, Alisandre here is the only one of us who hasn't actually fought against the Shinigami. He's going as a clean slate to interact with them. Alisandre!". The Arrancar stood up, facing Halibel. He was taller than both Sung-sun and Apacci, but still nowhere near Franceska, at 1.68m/5,6 ft. tall. "Yes, Halibel-sama?" He asked in a stern voice, trying to ignore the glare of his companions. His relationship with them is usually pleasant and even passionate at times, but he knew better than to get on their bad side or in the way of their devotion to Halibel, one that he shared.

Halibel walked over to him and placed her hand caringly on his shoulder. "I am trusting you with this. Your success will build the bridges between Arrancar and Shinigami... I know you can do this". She smiled, making the heart of all four of them to flutter and forget all their anger. "You leave in the morning. Go get some sleep, all of you go rest for the night". And with that, the four Arrancars left to their respective rooms.

Alisandre was lying down in her room, nervous and excited for the morning to come and his new life to start. His mind running around when he heard a knock on his door. He opened the door to find Franceska's impressive figure standing in front of him. "Hey... look... I'm sorry about today, we were a bit harsh on you, I... I know you are capable enough for this mission... and if you fail, we'll just have to come over and drag your sorry ass back here and beat you up, okay?". She said with a flustered look on her face. "A-Anyway! Take this with you!". Franceska gave Alisandre a small adorable doll of herself. Alisandre took the doll and thanked Franceska. "Don't get the wrong idea, Miranda made one for each one of us and we thought we could give them to you as a parting gift... We know you really love those cutesy things". Miranda was also a new Arrancar who had joined Halibel's kingdom, she had an affinity for tailoring and sewing, so she took it upon herself to make all clothes they wore and every decoration in the palace. Alisandre almost tearing up hugged Franceska suddenly, and she hugged him back. Franceska left his room and Alisandre stored the doll inside his bag when he was again interrupted by a louder knocking.

"HEY! Are you going to leave me out here standing all night or what?!" He instantly recognized that aggressive voice, Apacci. "Coming!" he shouted back, hoping to calm the impatient Arrancar. When he opened the door, he was almost blown away by a punch which he barely managed to evade. "Tch! If that had landed, i wouldn't have approved you going on this mission, good boy". She patted Alisandre's belly, something she always did as a way to tease him. "Here. I brought you this". She threw him her own doll. "Have a safe trip, you big dork". She softly punched him in the arm. "I'm not done with you here, so you better come back". A devilish smile ran across her face as she winked, turned around and walked outside.

Alisandre sighed, smiling at the second doll and as soon as he turned around he heard the a knock on the door, this one, very delicate. He walked over to the door and there she was, Sung-sun. Her petite frame leaning against the doorframe. "Hooo? I can see you've been busy tonight, boy". She said looking at the Apacci doll, Alisandre quickly hiding it behind him. "N-no, not at all, come on in". Sung-Sun wrapped her slender arms and long sleeves around Alisandre. "You know you are not good at lying to me... but don't worry, I also brought you a parting gift, now you'll have the complete collection, because I'm sure Mila Rose already gave you hers too". She placed her doll in his shirt as if it was hanging from the circular opening he had on his torso to expose his Hollow hole. "But i will make sure MY doll is the one you cherish the most". And with that, she pulled him in for a kiss. "Come visit us from time to time, okay". Alisandre nodded. "I promise I won't fail you all, I'll come back and take you all on a field trip to the best places I find over there". Sung-sun left the room, wishing Alisandre a good night before she left.

"Okay, now i can finally go to sle--". Once again, a knock on the door. He walked back and opened up. This time it was Miranda, the smallest Arrancar in the palace, short and soft spoken, her Mask remnant was a big beret that made her look like a walking mushroom. "H-hey Alisandre-chan, sorry for bothering you, i came to give you something before your trip tomorrow. I just finished it, here". She handed him a black sash with little mushrooms embroidered all over it. "i made it so you could carry around your weapon and have easy acces to it at any time". She said proudly while adjusting her big glasses. "Wow... thank you so much... You all truly care about me...". He leaned over and hugged her. Miranda giggled. "Of course we do, silly, we are all part of Halibel-sama's kingdom. We support one another. Well, i'll see you tomorrow before you leave, okay? Good night!" The moment the door closed behind her, Miranda dropped to her knees, blushing intensely remembering the embrace that just happened seconds ago. Alisandre finally reached his bed.

The next morning, everyone was in Halibel's palace main hall. Halibel stood in front of the Arrancars and opened up a Garganta behind her. "Alisandre, your mission begins here, this opening will take you directly to the main hall of the Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku, he has arranged a space were our garganta could open up without raising any alarms. Try to keep your Reiatsu in control to not alert anyone. The Captain Commander will give you further instructions. From now on, you answer to him as if his orders were mine, understood?". Alisandre took a step forward. "Yes Halibel-sama!" He walked forward, turned around to see his companions all standing in line. "I promise i will make you all proud, especially your Highness, Halibel-sama, I'll keep you informed of my progress". He walked over to the open Garganta and stepped through it, everyone waving goodbye at him.

After a short while, he emerged into a large room, neatly decorated and organized. Standing in front of him were the Captain Commander Shunsui, his lieutenant Nanao Ise, and a short girl with big eyes; a member of the 1st. division, RanGinKu.

"Hey! How was your trip?" Said the tall man with a smile. "You must be Alisandre! Queen Halibel told me a lot of things about you. It's a pleasure to have you here with us! This is my lieutenant Nanao Ise, and the 3rd seat of the first Division, RanGinKu. There is another lieutenant but he had to attend some other errands and couldn't be here to receive you. Ranginku here will be handling your information and procedures, if you have any questions, take them up with her" Shunsui placed a hand on RanGinKu's shoulder and nudged her forward. She almost tripped as she took a step forward.

"Nice to meet you, Alisandre-san! I'll be working with your case from now on! Lets get along and leave our differences aside!" She bowed her head. Alisandre bowed back. Pleasure to meet you too, RanGinKu-tan." RanGinKu seemed confused by the overly cute suffix the Arrancar used to address her, but decided to ignore it. She pulled out a piece of paper and started reading from it. "Starting today, the Arrancar Alisandre will be formally assigned to the 8th Division, as the 3rd seat member under Captain Kei. He will be required to assist in any and all missions assinged to the 8th Squad as any other Shinigami would, and as seen fit by Captain Kei. He will be expected to answer the order of command as any other Shinigami would. He will be free to roam Soul Society as long as no trouble or external issues occur. He will be assigned a room in the 8th Division Barracks just as any other Shinigami. Great Regards, Captain Commander Kyoraku and the 1st Division!". RanGinKu looked at Alisandre with a smile. "Welcome to Soul Society".

Shunsui clapped softly "Great job, RanGinKu! Now that we are done with formalities, how about you give our friend a little tour around the Barracks and take him to the 8th Division? Take the rest of the day off, too! Lieutenant Nanao will be happy to cover for you". Nanao glared at Shunsui from afar. RanGinKu guided Alisandre to the 8th Division Barracks, explaining the function of every Division they passed, answering Alisandre's occasional questions about the inner workings of Shinigamis and their common pastimes. On the way to the Barracks, they did not meet any other shinigami, since that day a special training camp was being held outside of Rukongai, imparted by the previous captain of Squad 8, Lisa Yadomaru, who had retired in search of a peaceful and luxurious life by charging occasionally to train the inexperienced Shinigamis.

As they arrived to the 8th Division Barracks, RanGinKu suddenly turned pale in the face and seemed pretty nervous. She thought to herself: "I forgot the official admittance letter I had to give to Captain Kei!!!". A cold sweat ran through her back. "Uuumm... Alisandre-san, i just remembered i had to get something before coming here, i'll just... go retreive ir very quickly, okay? You just wait for me to come back right there, i'll be back in a second". And as she said that she sprinted with an extreme speed comparable to Shunpo or Sonido. Alisandre was stunned by the speed she could muster by just sprinting and not using any sort of noticeable technique. A few seconds later she was already out of sight.

Alisandre looked around at the empty Barracks where he would be staying from now on. Way more colorful and with more greenery than Hueco Mundo, he thought to himself. He left his backpack (Designed by Miranda, of course) on the side of the road where he was. Excited, he walked around, looking at every corner and area without going to far from the starting point. As he was exploring, something was happening inside of a nearby wall.

With a soft creak, one of the walls on the side of a building opened up and from there two female Shinigami walked out. A tall white haired woman with a white robe, indicating her Captain status, and a slim woman with flashy make-up and hair highlights. The two of them where speaking in secrecy, the slim woman telling the Captain. "See? I told you I knew a way here!, I know the inner workings of these walls like the palm of my hand!". She boasted pridefully. The Captain laughed quietly. "I never doubted you, Herta, truly impressive, and you're sure this same tunnels connect to the Archives of Squad 12?". Herta showed an impish smile. "Of course, Kei, if we follow these tunnels we will be able to access the archives and find their hidden files on Urahara Kisuke..." Both Shinigami smiled excitedly. Kei took out her pipe and started smoking. "You know, Herta, if anyone finds out about this we'll be in so much trouble, but I'm glad to be able to spend some time with you like this, and I sure am glad I managed to get out of that training camp, such a hassle, I rather relax here by the tree's shade". She exhaled smoke and suddenly stopped. "Something wrong, Kei?". Asked Herta as she looked at the Captain's serious face.

"We are not alone here... this presence... it's faint but it's not a Shinigami... I'll never forget this feeling... It's an Arrancar!". She pulled out her Zanpakuto. Herta took a battle stance. "An Arrancar?! But how could an Arrancar make it all the way here undetected?". They walked around a corner and saw Alisandre standing in a small gazebo, looking longingly at the blooming sakura trees. Kei stopped for a moment and spoke softly. "There he is... those white robes, and that hat-like thing on his head, it's a hollow mask remnant... there's no mistaking it, it's an Arrancar. Prepare your Bakudo to immobilize him. Lets get as much information as we can from him". Herta, being a master in Kido, could launch spells with no incantation. Raising her hand and pointing her index finger at the unknowing Arrancar, she used Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro. Six beams of light shot out of her hand towards the Arrancar. Feeling this sudden burst of energy, Alisandre barely managed to turn around and see the Shinigami before being bound and paralyzed by the spell. "Got him! HA HA!". Shouted Herta, mockingly.

"Wait! You got it all wrong! Don't attack me!". Shouted Alisandre, Kei walked slowly towards the gazebo where he was, Zanpakuto in hand. "Hooo... impressive that you can still talk when bound by Herta's Rikujokoro, I congratulate you, this will make the interrogation easier". And within a second, Kei was already in the gazebo, pouncing on Alisandre. Once Kei landed, she noticed the Arrancar was not under her, confused, she looked at the floor and noticed a closing vortex, similar to a Garganta, but in a spiral shape. She turned her head towards a rooftop where she felt the Arrancar's presence and saw Alisandre coming out of a round portal idential to the one on the floor, barely able to move a muscle. "Herta! I told you to hold him, what's wrong?!". As she looked at Herta, she noticed she was still holding the binding spell, starting to break a sweat. "He is still immobilized by it, Kei! I don't know how he moved such a big distance in no time, he can't use Sonido right now!". Kei turned to the Arrancar again. "But i can use Shunpo!". As she leaped to him, his hand moved in a circular motion and in a split moment, a small portal opened in front of her, unable to stop her momentum, she entered the portal and suddenly found herself in a pinkish smoky void for what felt like a quarter of a second and coming out of another portal, landing beside Herta, who was some meters away the moment before.

Alisandre struggled against the bind, able to move a couple of centimeters. He didn't get too far before Kei was already flying towards him again. As Kei slashed at him, he opened up another portal under himself to enter it and come out on top of the Gazebo. "Please! I'm not an enemy! I swear!". Kei looked at him. "Then why are you running away, huh?". The serious expression on her face made the sarcastic remark the more unsettling. "You are attacking me!!". Alisandre retorted. Suddenly he felt another energy wrapping around him and pulling him from the roof unto the floor, slamming him with force. Herta had used her other hand to fire a Bakudo 4, Hainawa, to further bind him and immobilize him completely. "Good job, Herta!". Kei shouted as she leapt and landed on top of Alisandre, sitting on his chest. Herta clearly was out of breath. Kei looked at her and smirked. "You need to work on that stamina, Herta, now... Arrancar... either you comply and answer me some questions... or Phoenix here will have a hot encounter with your face". She said as she stabbed her Zanpakuto into the floor beside his face and the blade bursted into flames. "First, what was that portal you were using to move around? That was not a Garganta". Alisandre tried to move his face away from the sizzling blade. I-it's called Boca, it's my special ability!, it's an instant garganta that can transport one person at a time! I can open as many as I want". Kei and Herta looked at each other and then back at Alisandre. "What are you doing in Soul Society? Are there any others?". Kei moved her blade closer to his face. 

From far away a shouting voice could be heard. "-aaaaAAAAIIIIIT!! WAAAIT!! PLEASEEEE!!" RanGinKu was sprinting all the way from down the road carrying a bag, her head showing a cartoony sign of being previously bonked in punishment and watery eyes. She reached the other two Shinigamis and slided in with a tire screech as she stopped. "You... You are the 1st Division's third seat, right? RanGinKu-san?". RanGinKu looked surprised. "You recognize me, Captain Kei?". Kei smirked again. "Of course, fastest runner in the whole Soul Society without using Shunpo, how could I not know about you?". RanGinKu smiled and blushed. "Hehehe, you flatter me! I AM pretty fast, rig-- WAIT! This isn't what I came here for. Captain Kei! 6th Division's 3rd Seat Herta-san! Please let go of Alisandre, he is not an enemy, he is our special new member!" Both Shinigamis were perplexed at what she said. "The Captain Commander told me he mentioned it to you a couple of days ago while you were drinking together, Captain Kei. Here's the official letter". RanGinKu handed the sheet of paper to Kei. 

She read the paper while she turned of her Zanpakuto's flames and resumed her pipe smoking. "Ughhh... Shunsui did mention we were getting a "special guest" but he could at least have mentioned the guest was an Arrancar! We almost killed him!" Herta released the bounding spells and fell to her knees, gasping for air, as RanGinKu fanned her with a little wooden fan. Kei helped Alisandre up and bowed her head. "I am sorry for attacking you and not believing your words". Alisandre was surprised at the sudden display of humility. "As a Captain my duty is to protect the Soul Society, but it seems my prejudice made me take some rash decisions". Alisandre waved his hands. "No, Captain, there's no need for that! I totally understand, don't worry, it's all forgiven". RanGinKu approached them both. "YES! it's MY fault for not bringing the letter with me! Mom-... Nanao-san scolded me and told me to apologize". She said through teary eyes and a runny nose, the other two were more curious and concerned about why she almost called her Mom like a kid in school confusing their teacher. Kei chuckled. "Well. I guess it's time for the formalities. Alisandre, right? I'm Kei, Captain of the 8th Division of the Soul Society, I welcome you to Squad 8 as the third seat. I hope we get along and there's no more trouble, i look forward to working with you". She extended her hand to Alisandre. They shooked hands for a moment and Kei sighed as she blew smoke out of her mouth. "Acting the part of Captain is such a hassle, but i guess it's necessary". Alisandre laughed but suddenly remembered he left his backpack on the road and was about to sprint for it when RanGinKu stopped him and showed him she picked it up and brought it with her. 

Alisandre grabbed his backpack, and followed Captain Kei into the Barracks to receive his room. RanGinKu waved goodbye at them and walked with Herta back to the Squad 6 Barracks, before returning back to the 1st Division office, where she was again, scolded heavily by Nanao and ALSO by Genshiro Okikiba, the second Lieutenant, who had just arrived back from his daily errands. Captain Kei helped Alisandre get settled into the room. As he was unpacking, she noticed the Three dolls he pulled out of his backpack and placed on his bed. "I didn't know Arrancars liked cute stuff like this". Alisandre showed them to her. "We usually don't, but lately, Hueco Mundo feels more welcoming of stuff like this, at least, in Queen Halibel's palace". Alisandre and Kei talked about each other for the whole afternoon, until it was dark outside. 

"Well, Alisandre... Tomorrow the rest of the Squad will be here at about noon. Why don't you join me for lunch before that and I'll present you to all of them once they arrive?". She said as she stood up and walked outside. "Of course, Captain Kei! I'd love that!". As both said their good nights, Kei walked back to her own dormitory, and Alisandre losed his door and walked to his new bed.

"So this is how it begins, huh?... My new life..." He looked at the full moon through his window as he fell asleep.

The End.


	2. Socializing -Meeting the Squad-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad 8 is back from their training camp, and Alisandre is introduced to all of them, but not everyone is okay with this newcomer. Some scars don't heal so easily, but maybe feelings can be changed with the right actions. Meanwhile, some curious eyes are interested in Alisandre's abilities.

As the sun came up, barely at the break of dawn, Alisandre was already getting up, still drowsy and yawning, he stood up and stretched, looking over to the header of his bed to see the three cute dolls sitting side by side. "Good Morning... Let’s see how today goes, huh?". He smiled at the dolls as he got dressed, tying his new sash around his waist, the black and white mushroom pattern on it really making it stand out from regular sashes. In the backside of it there was a small handle to carry his sealed weapon. In its sealed form, his weapon took the shape of an extendable Man catcher, a pole weapon ending in a semicircle with retractable spikes on the inside, used mainly to capture and immobilize opponents, once the retractable spikes burst out, they could deal serious damage to anything trapped inside the semicircle. The handle was roughly 15 cm./ 6 in. long and the pole could stretch up to 10 meters / 33 ft. in just a second. 

Once fully dressed and equipped with his weapon he walked outside of his room. Maybe it was a bit too early, he thought to himself, seeing as the sun was barely up and no one was around yet, he decided to keep exploring around the Barracks, maybe check out the cherry blossom trees and the river near the gazebo where he was attacked yesterday. 

The rising sun illuminating the blossoming cherry trees and the glistening small river by the side of the gazebo were such a beautiful scene, Alisandre was overwhelmed with feelings as his eyes watered up. One thing he would never miss from Hueco Mundo was it’s dull and empty looking white sands and dead trees. He didn’t hate it, but he never really liked it either. As he stared at the scenery, a voice called from behind him. “Huh… Never seen an Arrancar cry before. Didn’t think you were so sensible”. Kei said as she approached the gazebo with her pipe in hand and yawning loudly. “Guess you learn something new every day”. Alisandre wiped his face, a bit embarrassed as he turned to Kei.

“Good Morning, Captain Kei!” He said as he bowed and approached her. “It’s just that… the beauty of this place is so impressive… nothing in Hueco Mundo could even compare to this, except maybe Halibel-sama’s palace, but that was decorated by us”.

“Glad to see you appreciate aesthetics. And also, it’s good to know that at least someone in the squad is an early bird. I’m going to see Shunsui for a drink right now, care to join us?” She asked.

“The Captain Commander? Is it okay for me to join you in your private time?”. 

“Oh, come on! Don’t be so uptight. He might be the Captain Commander now but he still has the Squad 8 spirit inside of him, and that means knowing when to keep calm and relax when there’s a chance. Let’s go”. They both walked for a while, until they reached a small pond with a bridge that connected to a gazebo with a large stone in the middle of it. Jushiro Ukitake’s burial site. Shunsui was already there, sitting and drinking from a small cup. Standing by his side was RanGinKu, an unusual occurrence, since commonly, Nanao would be the one by his side.

“Kei! You made it! Took you long enough, we almost thought you weren’t coming”. He said with a goofy smile and an already flushed face.

“Sorry sorry! You know I like to be fashionably late. Also, I brought a little stowaway I found on my way here with me”. She turned to Alisandre. He bowed to Shunsui, and RanGinKu waved at him cheerfully. Shunsui turned to the stone as if it was talking to him and smiled.

“Yeah, an Arrancar living among us and joining us for a drink. You would’ve never expected that, huh?”. His smile showed a slight hint of melancholy and his eyes looked like they longed for something.

Kei and Alisandre approached them. “Oh, what a surprise to see you here, GinKu-chan! Usually Nanao is the one who is always babysitting Shunsui over here”. She shot a teasing smirk to Shunsui as she said that.

“Um… well, because of my… slip up… yesterday, I got scolded by lieutenant Okikiba and Mo- I mean lieutenant Ise, and as punishment, lieutenant Ise got the day off because I would take care of her duties for the day”. She said, absolutely embarrassed while drinking her boba tea. Everyone just thinking to themselves how she almost called Nanao “Mom” again. 

“Well, I’m glad to have you here, you’re a really nice girl”. Kei said as she grabbed some sake and sat down. “Alisandre, take a seat, do you want some sake too? Or maybe some tequila we brought from the human world?”. She pulled out two bottles from a bag and set them on the wooden floor.

“Well… I don’t know what any of those things are, if I’m being honest…”. Everyone looked at him surprisedly.

“You’ve never had alcohol before? Well, I’m glad I brought you here today, come on! Drink up!”. Kei said excitedly as she poured some sake in a cup for Alisandre. He grabbed the cup and as soon as he got it near his face to drink it, the smell of the alcohol disgusted him like nothing else before, he instinctively pulled the cup away from his face and tried to resist the urge to gag. “What? Is it too strong for you?”. Kei said as she took the cup back.  
“I… I don’t think I like alcohol… I’m sorry, I don’t want to be disrespectful…”. He looked down.

“Sorry… I don’t think we have any non-alcoholic drinks with us right now…”. As Kei said this, RanGinKu perked up, remembering she did bring a small bottle of strawberry milk with her. She pulled it out of a small basket and handed it over to Alisandre. He opened up the bottle and smelled it, and as soon as that sweet aroma hit him, his eyes lighted up, and he drank it with excitement. “This is so good! What is it?”. As RanGinKu explained it to him he kept drinking the sweet beverage. Out of the holes in his mask remnants (which were shaped as a small top hat with black holes around it) a pinkish steam flowed slowly. Everyone looked at it and Alisandre explained that when he consumes any type of food or drink that he really enjoys, that steam flows out of his hat without his control. They all laugh together at this peculiar behavior. 

As time passes, Kei and Shunsui mostly talk to one another and to the stone, and get consistently more drunk by the minute, while Alisandre and RanGinKu talked about each other for a while. After a couple of hours, Kei and Shunsui were already laying on the ground, laughing and reminiscing about the past. Kei was the first to stand up. “Well… it’s been a fun time, but my squad should be back at any moment now and they need their Captain to receive them with open arms!”. Her words slurred a bit as she stood up and tumbled around, sitting down on a bench. Shunsui also stood up. 

“By the way, Kei. You still have to write a report as to why you didn’t assist to that training camp with your squad, don’t think I’ve forgotten about that”. Shunsui said as Kei acted aloof and ignored him.

“Well, RanGinKu-tan, it was a pleasure talking with you, thanks for showing me the wonders of this… Stro berri Milk, it’s amazing!”. Alisandre said as he stood up too.

RanGinKu laughed. “Oh, you can call me GinKu, and also, it’s pronounced Strawberry, I’ll make sure to order you some crates to be delivered to your barracks”. She smiled sweetly.

With that being said, all of them bowed to the stone and Shunsui lit up some incense in front of it before leaving. Alisandre and Kei both made their way back to the barracks. On the way, Alisandre explained to Kei how his “Bocas” work, and how the portals can only transport one person at a time, but he has no limit in how many Bocas he can open up at any given time. That being his special ability which got even stronger in his Resurrección, where his range and control over the Bocas became way more powerful, and he could use them to attack enemies from all possible directions instantly.  
Kei blew out some smoke and analyzed the information he was giving her. “This ability of yours, the Bocas, seems like such a useful power, so, if I didn’t want to walk all the way to the barracks right now, could you just send me there?”. Alisandre opened up two Bocas in front of them and they both stepped in them, coming out of the other side in front of the Squad 8 barracks. In front of them, a tall, slim woman stood perplexed at what she just witnessed. Followed by some voices coming from a small crowd of Shinigami who were all walking to the barracks. “Is that Captain Kei?”. “Did she just come out of some portal?”. “Is that an Arrancar?!”. 

The tall woman leading the group of Shinigami crossed her arms and sighed heavily, her tired eyes looking at Kei and Alisandre. “Captain Kei…What is the meaning of this?”. Kei stood there silently for a couple of seconds then sighed too. “Damn it, this wasn’t the way I planned to surprise you all, but whatever. Alisandre! Take us to the Main Hall!”. She quickly turned around and grabbed Alisandre’s arm. He was surprised and quickly opened two Bocas and they both jumped into them. “Meet us over there!”. Kei shouted as they disappeared.

“What just happened, Lieutenant Indy?”. Asked one of the many Shinigami in the group. Indy rubbed her eyes with her index and thumb. “I don’t even know, I’m sure the Captain will tell us everything in the Main Hall, let’s go…”. The group moved to the Main Hall of the Barracks, Where Kei was standing with a smug smile, Alisandre standing next to her. As all the other Shinigami entered the room, Indy made her way over to Kei.

“Captain, everyone is already here, care to explain what is going on? Why is there an Arrancar here?”. Everyone took their seat around the long tables in the hall.

“Took you all long enough to get here. Everyone! Allow me to introduce our newest member, and the new Squad 8 third seat, Alisandre, the Arrancar!”. The whole hall was quiet, you could hear a pin drop. One of the Shinigami stood up angrily. “What the hell, Captain!? Excuse my rudeness but this makes no sense! You bring this monster out of nowhere and suddenly he is the Third seat? I was aiming for that spot for more than a year!”. Kei looked at the Shinigami. “Maximus, Alisandre is a Soul Society special guest, so I would really watch my words if I were you. AND, his seating was decided personally by me. If you wish to question my decision, you are free to challenge me and prove me you can take the third seat for yourself, OR challenge Alisandre himself to take his spot?”. Alisandre seemed surprised at what Kei said. Maximus challenged him to a battle for his seat.

Everyone moved to a designated sparring area in the barracks. Maximus stood on one side of the ring, he was a tall man, with long straight brown hair and a chin so defined that it could cut diamonds. He was muscular and stood with a sort of pose as if he was modeling for a camera.   
“Arrancar… I don’t like your kind, you monsters created so much chaos when you were following that little bitch traitor Aizen, my wife suffered so much during that time… She had to help build an entire fake city so you beasts wouldn’t destroy the human world… I can’t just stand silently as you waltz in here and do as you please, so I will go all out on you. You don’t stand a chance”. Maximus pulled out his Zanpakuto and held both the sword and the sheath in front of him.

Indy sat down besides Kei. “Captain, are you sure about this? Maximus will go all out with his shikai, if he injures the new guy it could cause big trouble, with him being a guest and all that”. Kei took a big puff of her pipe, and calmly reassured Indy that Maximus wouldn’t be able to even touch Alisandre. “How are you so sure about that, Captain? Do you really have that much faith in this Arrancar?”. Kei told her to watch the battle closely and she would get her answer.

“Reveal your aroma, Xocolatl”. Maximus spined around, throwing both of his sandals and socks out of his feet and into a wall, and at the same time, transforming his Zanpakuto into a paddle-like weapon surrounded by sectioned blades; a Macahuitl, in his left hand, and his sheath into a round shield on his right arm, both made of a dark reddish-brown material and with a complex shiny green vine design all over it. The air filled with a deep aroma of chocolate. 

Alisandre took out his weapon from the back side of his sash and stood on the other side of the ring. “That’s your weapon?” Asked Maximus mockingly. “Some lame circle on a handle? This will be easier than I thought”. As they both assumed their stance, Kei explained the rules and announced the beginning of the Duel. No killing…that was the only rule.

As the battle started, Maximus leaped forward with his shield up. Alisandre opened a Boca right in front of him and another one pointing to the floor, causing him to crash right into the ground, lifting a bunch of dust up. Alisandre took this chance to hide in the dust cloud and attack from the side with a kick, which Maximus managed to block on time but still was thrown back, Alisandre opened up a Boca behind him and one behind himself. Maximus flew through the portal and came out from behind Alisandre. He turned around and caught him by the neck, opening a Boca on the floor and another one high up, pointing to the floor. He slammed Maximus through the Boca and he plummeted down from the other opening. As Maximus crashed into the ground, he braced for impact, creating a large hole on the ground.

Indy was surprised by how quick the battle was escalating. “Captain! They already damaged the arena; shouldn’t we stop them?”. Kei was looking intensely at the battle, analyzing both of their abilities. “No no, let them go at it a bit more, Maximus will get some benefit from this too. Wait until my call and stop them with your Shikai”. 

Maximus stood up from the hole on the ground, his eyes glowing a bright jade green and his long hair was spreading out as if floating. His breathing was heavy, he looked at Alisandre and rushed at him preparing to slash him with his weapon, but Alisandre once again opened up a Boca in front of him. Maximus stopped the instant before entering the Boca. “Don’t think I’ll fall twice on the same trick!”. He evaded to the side and lunged at Alisandre’s face. He arched his back to evade it at the last second and dropped to the floor, entering a Boca and coming out on the other side of the ring.

“I’m getting reeeeal pissed at you just evading everything. Fight me Head ON!!”. Maximus shouted. Alisandre pointed his weapon at him. He held up his shield. In just a second Alisandre opened up 11 Bocas surrounding Maximus, and one in front of himself. His weapon stretched through the first portal, coming out of the Boca right behind Maximus, he barely evaded, as the weapon entered another portal and came out of the opposing one. Maximus kept barely evading Alisandre’s weapon, every time with less space to move around until the catcher finally captured him by the neck. Alisandre’s handle began shining bright pink. “Got you”.

Maximus pointed his blade at Alisandre. A green energy started building up in each one of the sectioned blades from the handle to the tip. “I won’t go down so easily!”. Kei clapped and stood up. “All right, that’s enough for now”. As she said that, two big sinkholes appeared under both of them, pulling them both down until half of their bodies were underground. Both of them dispelled their energies. Indy was standing beside Kei, holding her released Shikai. “Thanks Indy. Okay both of you! That was a splendid battle, so heated!”. Kei walked over to the ring.

“Captain Kei! Why did you stop me? I was about to pummel this Arrancar with my power!”. Kei was preparing her pipe again. “Not really, you both were just about to release enough energy to damage the whole ring, and we can’t have that, our budget will barely cover the damage you both did already. Oh, also, congratulations, you are now both Co-Third seats!”.

“WHAT?!”. Maximus shouted.

“Is that even possible?”. Asked Alisandre.

“Of course, it is, the Captain Commander even has two lieutenants, also, I was already thinking of doing that when I was giving my announcement”. She took a long swig of her pipe. “But you interrupted me, so I wanted to give you a lesson AND see how you improved with your training. Boy oh boy am I smart or what? Oh, and also, your first assignment as third seats is to fix the ring you just destroyed. Maximus, I know you, and I’m sure that after this fight, you might respect our new member a bit more, so take this time to know him and use your words this time. Everyone else, you can take the rest of the day off, you must all be tired from that training camp!”. Kei and the rest of the squad were leaving.

“Hey, Indy!”. Maximus shuffled around the sinkhole to turn around and look at Indy. “Can you help us get out of your sinkhole?”. Indy turned around and put away her sword. “I don’t know, Maxi, I’m really tired and Captain Kei told us to take the day off soooo…” She untied her hair and walked away whistling. Maximus was struggling trying to get out of the sinkhole, while Alisandre just opened up a Boca under himself and one over the floor so he could get out.

“Hey… Maximus… I know you don’t really like Arrancars because of what they did before but… I wasn’t really around when that happened, and I don’t really follow Aizen, my loyalty is just for Lady Halibel, and she wants peace with Soul Society, and I came here to make amends following that idea, so… I hope you can accept my stay here and we can get along… We are teammates now”. Alisandre freed Maximus with one of his Bocas. 

Maximus grunted as he came out of the Boca. Alisandre extended his hand to help him up, he accepted it and stood up. “You know… maybe I was being a bit excessive with what I said… And if the Captain is okay with having you here, I guess I should respect that… Also, you are pretty strong, so I think you do deserve this Third seat, let’s give it our all”. He said as they both shook hands.

Maximus and Alisandre both went and grabbed some shovels and started working on repairing the sparring area. Finishing until the sun was already going down. Both of them were exhausted as they were putting away the shovels and brooms. Kei, Indy and Herta were all just sitting in the gazebo sharing drinks and talking when a petite woman with glasses and a lab coat walked by carrying a cute lunchbox. 

“Oh? Hey, Kuna! Nice to see you here! Did you come to visit Maxi?”. Indy waved at her from the gazebo. Kuna waved back and approached them. “Hey Indy, Captain Kei and Herta! Good to see you all hanging out, it’s a lovely evening. Yeah, I’m here to bring my Maxi his lunch, I wanted to come earlier when he got here from the training camp, but the Research Department was having some weird readings throughout the afternoon and we had to analyze them”. 

After chatting for a while, Kuna went over to the sparring area to find Maximus and Alisandre just sitting down and talking. “MAXIIIII! There you are, baby!” She ran towards Maximus and jumped on him. “I brought you your favorite lunch! I missed you so!”. She noticed Alisandre sitting right in front of them and blushed a bit. “Maxi! You could’ve told me someone was here with you! I’m sorry for my rudeness, I’m Kuna, from Squad 12”.   
Maximus seemed a bit embarrassed but also really happy. “Honey, this is Alisandre… He is a new member and he’s… an Arrancar…”. Kuna adjusted her glasses. 

“Wow! A live Arrancar! It’s been a while since I last saw one!”.

“He is a special Soul Society Guest, and he was telling me about this special power he has, can you show her, Alisandre?”. Alisandre opened up two Bocas and Kuna excitedly jumped in one and came out the other one, analyzing every nook and cranny of the portal with a lot of interest. Then after some seconds, she turned to Maximus and noticed the bruises and his dirty clothes.

“Maxi! What happened to you?”

“You just noticed it? Hahaha, well, I had a bit of a sparring match with Alisandre here, that’s why we were fixing this place up all afternoon” 

Kuna hugged Maximus and rubbed his head, making cute and cuddly sounds as she did it. Alisandre looked away, holding in his laughter and trying to not feel awkward. Kuna was very short, so even with Maximus sitting down, he had to slouch forward so she could hug him properly. 

After a while, Kuna received a notification from her squad in a small device she was carrying, kissed Maximus and left in a hurry. The two guys finished up their task and put away the tools. Meanwhile, at the Research Department in Squad 12, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi was looking at some data in a monitor while Lieutenant Akon and Nemuri Hachigou moved some stuff around. Kuna entered the room, patted Nemu on the head, and approached Mayuri.

“Captain! I know where those weird readings were coming from! Take a look at this”. She typed some stuff on the computer and connected a small device to it. She showed readings from the Boca Alisandre showed her and it matched perfectly to the readings they had from that day’s afternoon and the previous day. 

“Interesting… Kuna, tell Sakamoto Nozomi that this mission is assigned to her. She must analyze and bring me more information on this weird ability, it could be very useful for us”. Mayuri said while staring at the screen with an evil smile…


End file.
